The present invention relates to a clip-on tape dispenser for reeled tape.
Everybody is familiar with the frustrating experience of trying first to locate the end of a reeled adhesive tape, then to pry this end loose and, finally, to tear off the required length of tape. For this reason there have come into use a wide selection of tape dispensers which, having a cutting edge, facilitate tearing off a length of tape and prevent spontaneous reattachment of the tape end to the roll.
These tape dispensers are, however, heavy and/or bulky, being much larger than the tape roll they accommodate. They are also relatively expensive.
A more compact tape shear is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,276. This shear, made of a plastic material, is transversely strapped around the tape roll and its core, and is locked in that position by a locking tongue which is part of one wing of the device, engaging a slotted projection in a second wing. These wings are provided with a plurality of fingers carrying pegs which press, in the mounted position, against the sides of the layers of the roll. The tape is cut with the aid of a cutting edge. The holding force provided by the pegs decreases, however, with the decreasing thickness of the tape layers, resulting in loss of stability of the cutting edge when the tape is pulled across it.
While other compact tape dispensers are known, none of them is held in position by engaging the sides of the roll only.
It is one of the objects of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages and inadequacies of the prior art tape dispensers and to provide a tape dispenser that is of miniature size and weighs only a few grams, yet when applied to the tape reel, provides a constant, positive holding force and is, moreover, of negligible cost, while performing the tasks of standard-size tape dispensers.
According to the invention, this is achieved by providing a clip-on tape dispenser for reeled tape, comprising, in integral configuration, a middle section, at least portions of which are designed to ride on the outermost turn of said reeled tape, and two flank sections located on either side of said middle section in planes substantially perpendicular to the general plane containing said middle section, a cutting section being part of and folded up from said middle section and having tape-cutting edge, characterized by at least one tooth-like member provided in at least one of said flanks and configured in such a way as to permit said dispenser to be easily clipped onto said reeled tape in a substantially radial direction thereto and to be slid thereon in a circumferential direction, but to oppose dislodgement of said dispenser in said substantially radial direction.
The invention further provides a blank for a clip-on tape dispenser, comprising, in integral configuration, a middle section, two flank sections, at least one tooth-like member in at least one of said flank sections to be cut free from said flank section, and one cutting section having a cutting edge for said tape to be torn off thereon.
The invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.
With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.